After a while, people outside shouted: "Brother Sheng! Is the meal ready?"
Yang Zhao immediately pushed Chen Mingsheng away and stood aside.
Chen Mingsheng gave a low laugh, looked at Yang Zhao, and said, "Okay, let's close the table."
The mahjong was packed up outside, Chen Mingsheng turned around and poured out the fish soup, Yang Zhao said, "I'll take it."
Chen Mingsheng hummed, and Yang Zhao said, "Are there any other dishes?" She saw that there were still several plates of cut vegetables on the chopping board.
Chen Mingsheng said: "I'll cook these few dishes later."
Yang Zhao left the kitchen with the fish soup, and the table was already cleared. Wen Lei saw it and came over to take the fish soup.
"Sister-in-law, I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Yang Zhao said thank you, turned around and went to the kitchen again.
Chen Mingsheng has already started cooking.
When Yang Zhao entered, Chen Mingsheng glanced at her and said, "It will be ready soon, you can wait for me outside."
Yang Zhao said, "Can you bring it yourself?"
Chen Mingsheng nodded, "Yes."
The cooking was very fast, and Chen Mingsheng had all the dishes ready in less than ten minutes. Holding on to his crutches, he came out with a dish and laid it out on the table.
Wen Lei came over with a smile and sat down at the corner of the table.
"Hey, Brother Sheng."
Chen Mingsheng glanced at him indifferently, and continued to work.
The dining table was a folded four-corner table. There were six people in the room, and Wen Lei and Song Hui each sat in a corner. Chen Mingsheng sat next to Yang Zhao. On the other side of Yang Zhao sat Jiang Qing.
"I ate and ate, I'm starving to death." Wen Lei said.
He took a bite of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
"Oh, Brother Sheng, your craftsmanship hasn't changed over the years." He flattered Chen Mingsheng while eating.
Chen Mingsheng didn't bother to talk to him, "It's up to you."
Yang Zhao also took a bite of the fish, and it tasted really good.
She glanced at Wen Lei and said, "Did he cook well before?"
"Yes, sister-in-law." Wen Lei said, "Brother Sheng cooks first-rately, and is a good man at home!"
Chen Mingsheng: "..."
Yang Zhao: "..."
Old Wang said on the side: "Xiaowen, you will be served with a stick if you are as skinny as you are."
Wen Lei shrugged, obviously not afraid. He took a few more mouthfuls of food, sighed inadvertently, and said, "It's a pity that we meet too rarely, and I haven't even eaten a few times."
"Wen Lei." Chen Mingsheng glanced at him, but Wen Lei frowned, but didn't look at him either.
Yang Zhao looked at Wen Lei and lowered his head to eat.
The table is not big, and there are four men sitting there, which is very crowded. Basically every time I raise my arm, I bump into the person next to me.
Yang Zhao wasn't very hungry at first, so he put down his chopsticks after eating two mouthfuls. It's just that everyone hasn't finished eating yet, and she hasn't left the table either.
Song Hui said to Jiang Qing while eating: "Xiaoqing, you should learn from this fish too, and cook it for me when you go back."
Jiang Qing looked at him with a smile and said, "I can cook fish."
Song Hui said: "Well, your fish is also delicious."
Jiang Qing turned to Yang Zhao, "Sister-in-law, are you cooking well?"
Yang Zhao was taken aback, and his first reaction was to look at Chen Mingsheng, who lowered his head to eat with a relaxed expression.
Yang Zhao said, "I don't know how to cook."
Jiang Qing blinked and said, "Sister-in-law, don't be modest."
Yang Zhao said, "I really don't know how to do it."
Chen Mingsheng hummed on the side.
Yang Zhao looked at him, and he looked back with a smile.
Jiang Qing said: "Nowadays there are many girls who can't cook."
Yang Zhao didn't know what to answer, so he said lightly.
Looking at her, Jiang Qing stretched out her hand to scoop up the fish soup, and said, "I have been cooking since I was very young, but cooking is actually very easy to learn."
Song Hui said on the side: "When she was in junior high school, she had to take care of the house and take care of her two younger brothers."
Lao Wang said, "That's not easy."
"Yeah." Jiang Qing said, "But actually it's not—"
Jiang Qing was only focused on talking, but she didn't notice that the bowl in her hand was tilted. When she retracted her hand, the fish soup flowed onto her hand, which made her let go of her hand immediately.
As a result, a bowl of soup was spilled, and most of it dripped onto Yang Zhao's clothes.
The fish soup was indeed very hot, but luckily Yang Zhao wore two coats, so it wasn't that serious. She stood up, avoiding the still flowing fish soup.
"It's so hot!" Jiang Qing blew on her fingers vigorously. Song Hui stood up immediately, "What's the matter, did you get burned?" He came over from the other side of the table, held Jiang Qing's hand and looked carefully.
Chen Mingsheng glanced at Yang Zhao, her clothes were smudged a lot. When he opened his mouth to say something, Yang Zhao met his gaze and shook his head slightly.
Chen Mingsheng didn't say anything more.
When Song Hui came over, it became even more crowded. Yang Zhao pulled the stool away and stood by Lao Wang's side. Song Hui pulled Jiang Qing and said, "Come on, wash it with water first."
Jiang Qing wrinkled her face and followed Song Hui to the kitchen.
After they left, Wen Lei looked at Yang Zhao and said, "Sister-in-law, are you okay?"
Yang Zhao shook his head, "It's fine."
Chen Mingsheng stood up on his crutches and said, "Come here, change clothes."
"Yes." Yang Zhao followed Chen Mingsheng into the bedroom.
Wen Lei kept watching them enter the house, turned around, and saw that Lao Wang was also looking at this side. Their eyes met, and Wen Lei whispered, "What do you think?"
Lao Wang said: "What's the matter?"
Wen Lei said, "Sister-in-law."
Old Wang was silent for a while, then said, "I can't tell."
Wen Lei said, "Why can't I see it."
Lao Wang lowered his head and lit a cigarette, took a puff, raised his head, and said, "It's not the same kind of person."
In the room, Chen Mingsheng closed the door.
"Is it hot?" Chen Mingsheng said.
"No." Yang Zhao said.
Chen Mingsheng opened the closet and said, "Let me find you some of my clothes."
There was no answer behind him, Chen Mingsheng turned his head, and Yang Zhao stood where he was, smiling meaningfully at him.
Chen Mingsheng raised his eyebrows, "What do you want to do?"
Yang Zhao shook his head casually, "It's nothing."
Chen Mingsheng turned over a white shirt for him. Yang Zhao changed his clothes. Chen Mingsheng looked at the soup-soaked clothes and said, "I'll wash it for you later?"
"No need, this fabric can't be washed out if it's sticky with oil, so throw it away."
Chen Mingsheng looked up at Yang Zhao, who was buttoning his button with his head down. He took another look at the almost brand new sweater and bowed his head in silence.
After Yang Zhao changed his clothes, he said to Chen Mingsheng, "Let's go, don't make your friend wait too long."
When they went back, Song Hui and Jiang Qing had already returned. Song Hui sat in Yang Zhao's place, and when he saw Yang Zhao coming out, he said to Yang Zhao, "Let's change it. Her hand is burnt. Let me take care of it."
Yang Zhao nodded and sat in Song Hui's seat.
Jiang Qing said cautiously: "Sister-in-law, let me help you wash your clothes later."
Song Hui pulled Jiang Qing's wrist, moved it, and said in a low voice, "How do you wash your hands when they are hot?"
Jiang Qing pursed her lips and said nothing.
Yang Zhao said, "It doesn't matter, I can wash it myself later."
Chen Mingsheng glanced at her but didn't speak.
The meal was finished quickly, and thanks to Wen Lei's presence, the atmosphere at the table seemed to have been good.
At half past ten, Old Wang said, "That's about it for today, Mingsheng, let's meet again next time."
Chen Mingsheng nodded, "OK."
After eating, when everyone stood up, Chen Mingsheng said to Yang Zhao, "Just wait until you go into the house to rest, and I'll clean it up."
This was just heard by Wen Lei, and he joked: "Brother Sheng, you take care of cooking and washing the dishes. This is the rhythm of planning to let my sister-in-law marry you."
Yang Zhao glanced at Chen Mingsheng, Chen Mingsheng lit a cigarette, and glanced at Wen Lei lightly, Wen Lei shrank his neck and was speechless.
Jiang Qing said on the side: "Let me clean up the table."
Song Hui pulled her aside and said in a low voice, "Why are you so stupid, why are you cleaning up when your hands are burning? You are the only woman in this room."
Seeing that other people didn't pay attention, Jiang Qing said softly to Song Hui, "No, I drenched her clothes, and she doesn't need me to wash them, so I'll do more."
Song Hui said: "What are you doing? It's not our house. What kind of work will you do for her? At worst, we won't want the two hundred yuan we won in a while, and go wash her clothes."
Jiang Qing frowned and said, "What kind of clothes cost two hundred yuan to wash, and I can buy another one for her."
Song Hui patted Jiang Qing's head: "Be generous."
Jiang Qing was still a little unhappy, "I finally won so much."
Song Hui said, "Let's give it to Brother Sheng."
Jiang Qing thought for a while, nodded and said, "That's right, he's already like this, and it's not easy to find a girlfriend, so just take care of your friend, hehe."
Song Hui looked at Jiang Qing's small face, no matter how he looked at it, he thought it was cute, pinched it, and said, "Okay, it's time to go later."
After Song Lei finished talking to Jiang Qing, he went to find Chen Mingsheng and the others. Jiang Qing saw Yang Zhao in the crowd, and Yang Zhao also saw her. She came over, took out two hundred and thirty-five from her wallet, and gave it to Jiang Qing.
"The money for playing mahjong just now."
Jiang Qing looked at it and said, "No need, I soaked your clothes just now, you... just give me a little less, and you wash the rest of the clothes, and then buy another one."
Yang Zhao paused and said, "Okay." She took back the thirty-five change, Jiang Qing saw that she had left two hundred, her face remained calm, and she was already very happy.
She took two hundred dollars, but she kept one hundred by herself. When Song Hui came over with his coat, she gave him another hundred dollars and said, "She gave a lot."
Song Hui smiled when he saw one hundred yuan, and said, "You can keep it by yourself."
Jiang Qing grinned and put another hundred dollars away.
Chen Mingsheng and Yang Zhao went downstairs with them, Lao Wang said, "You don't need to send it off."
Chen Mingsheng said, "We just happened to go out and do some shopping."
Wen Lei squeezed over and said, "What are you buying?"
Lao Wang knocked it down with his fist, "You are everywhere."
Yang Zhao supported Chen Mingsheng and walked at the back.
There was no one in the yard anymore, and a few old street lamps gave off a faint light. The night wind blew, and the chill was obvious.
Wen Lei jumped up and down with his arms around his clothes, and said, "The temperature has dropped very quickly recently."
Jiang Qing sneezed, Song Hui took off his coat, put it on for her, and said, "Let's take a taxi back tonight."
Jiang Qing said, "Don't, take the bus."
Song Hui said: "It's quite far from the bus station."
Yang Zhao looked at it for a while and said, "I'll take you there."
Song Hui turned to look at her, Jiang Qing quickly said: "Sister-in-law, do you want to ask us to take a taxi? Don't bother."
Yang Zhao said, "I'll drive you to the bus station." She turned to Chen Mingsheng and said, "I'll take them away first." Chen Mingsheng nodded, threw the garbage bag in his hand into the trash can, and said, "Then I Go buy, wait and go home directly."
"good."
The trash can was right next to it, and Jiang Qing glanced at it inadvertently. Under the dim street lights, she saw the clothes spilled out of the garbage bag at a glance.
It was worn by Yang Zhao just now.
Jiang Qing was taken aback, when a short and crisp electronic lock sound came from behind her, she turned her head and saw that Yang Zhao had already walked to a car.
She feels that after living in the city for so many years, she has fully understood the life in the city. She followed her college roommate and got to know a lot of cars, but she couldn't name this car at all, and she hadn't even seen it in pictorial magazines.
She looked at the silver-white leopard on the front of the car, so powerful and fast, with its head held high, it jumped up, noble and reserved.
In the car, Jiang Qing sat behind Yang Zhao. Yang Zhao only asked where the bus stop was when he got on the bus, and never said a word again.
Jiang Qing raised her head quietly, and saw Yang Zhao's face from the outside rearview mirror, just like the silver leopard at the front of the car, plain and indifferent.
She was holding the two hundred yuan in her pocket, her hands were shaking all the time.
It was an indescribable feeling that twisted her heart and made her feel uncomfortable all over.
She remembered that at the mahjong table just now, every time she won, she would take a peek at Yang Zhao's expression, trying to find the feeling of victory. But Yang Zhao's expression was always calm. She didn't smile all the time, so Jiang Qing concluded that she must be angry in her heart, but she was embarrassed to show it because of the presence of a bunch of people.
Women always compare unconsciously.
Jiang Qing felt that she was the one with the advantage all night.
She is young, smart, and a graduate student... Her boyfriend is tall and strong, but Chen Mingsheng is disabled.
Now, that trace of superiority has been crushed to pieces. Yang Zhao didn't say anything or do anything, she even helped take care of Jiang Qing's little self-esteem.
But Jiang Qing still felt that her mind was going to explode.
This world is occasionally complicated and difficult to name, but most of the time it is simple and crude. God drew a clear line with money and status, that line can speak for itself, it clearly tells Jiang Qing—
You, on the other side of the line.
Sending them to the station, Yang Zhao said goodbye and drove away.
Jiang Qing kept looking at the car until it disappeared.
Song Hui frowned and said, "Is this car her own? Not bad."
He talked for a while and found that Jiang Qing didn't move. Looking over, Jiang Qing's eyes were a little red. He quickly put his arms around her and said, "Even if it belongs to her, it was bought by her family. What kind of skills are the rich second generation? Our Xiaoqing is self-reliant, ten thousand times better than her."
Jiang Qing didn't speak, turned around and waited for the bus.
Song Hui coaxed a few more words, but there was no response from Jiang Qing, and he felt that what he said was meaningless, so he stood quietly aside with embarrassment in his heart.
The icy wind was blowing, and there were a few people waiting for the bus standing in twos and threes at the station.
Jiang Qing suddenly said to Song Hui: "I don't like that woman."
Song Hui said: "I said a long time ago that I don't like it, so why pretend?"
When Song Hui tried his best to belittle Yang Zhao, Jiang Qing thought of something else.
Regardless of whether he earned it by himself or is really a rich second generation, Yang Zhao must be a rich man anyway. She's not bad looking, logically speaking, she should be in good condition, how could such a woman fall in love with Chen Mingsheng.
Jiang Qing suddenly asked Song Hui: "What did Chen Mingsheng do before?"
Song Hui was taken aback, and said, "He used to be a member of the public security system, but after something happened, he retired."
Jiang Qing said, "What are you doing, the police?"
Song Hui shook his head and said, "I don't know what to do specifically. His household registration was transferred later. I also heard from the people above. Let the help take care of it."
Jiang Qing said, "Is his leg injured on duty?"
Song Hui said: "I don't know, he's been here for more than a year. You can hear his accent, he's not a local, it's a bit southern."
Jiang Qing nodded, and asked again: "Then how much does he earn?"
Song Hui smiled and said, "Look at him now, how much do you think he earns?" Seeing that Jiang Qing seemed to be still thinking, he said, "Why are you asking this?"
Jiang Qing shook her head and said, "It's nothing, don't you think it's a bit strange that that woman found Chen Mingsheng. She is so rich, how could she find someone with such poor conditions."
Song Hui didn't care too much, "It's strange if it's strange, what can be done."
At this time, the bus came, and Song Hui and Jiang Qing got on the bus. Jiang Qing was still in deep thought while watching the flashing street lights outside the window. She finally said to Song Hui:
"I think there must be some reason for her to find Chen Mingsheng."